First 50-storey tower goes through the 35-storey limit

Piling is finished on Damac’s 11th tower and construction underway at Dubai Marina

The 11th tower from Damac Group is set to symbolise the pinnacle of their efforts so far, soaring 50 storeys into the skies of Dubai Marina area. In issue 35, Construction Week reported that, apart from the special case of Burj Dubai, the emirate’s skyline would soon see spires reaching 50 to 60 storeys. Over the past few years, municipal authorities have been granting permission to developers to build higher and higher. When the freehold boom struck, tower heights could reach 30-storeys, which was soon raised to 35-storeys and then to 40-storeys. Damac Group is now in the lead with its announcement of the city’s first private sector freehold residential development that will reach 50-storeys or more above the skies of Dubai. The tower is being called Ocean Heights and is located within the Dubai Marina complex almost at the entrance. It would dominate the Jumeirah Beach area and afford views across the Palm Jumeirah. Ocean Heights is not only Damac’s tallest tower, it is also the eleventh tower in the stable of eight projects across New Dubai. Damac claims to be the largest private property developer in the UAE. “Ocean Heights is a major milestone for us because with this stunning new building we cross the ten-tower mark for the first time. We now have a total of eight projects comprising 11 buildings, since two of these projects are made up of two adjacent towers,” said Peter Riddoch, CEO, Damac Properties. He pointed out that construction of the tower is already underway, with the piling nearing completion. “With this project, we were keen to start work on the building before going to the market and we believe now is the right time for it,” he said. Ocean Heights is to be completed by the end of 2006. Riddoch added that the 352 luxury apartments consist of 1, 2 and 3 bedrooms, with prices starting from Dhs1.1 million for a one-bedroom apartment. The two top-most floors in the building have been left as open plan designs to cater for bespoke penthouse designs for those customers who wish to design their own penthouse, or even a duplex condominium. “This project is designed for those who appreciate the finer things in life, and fits in with our strategy to become luxury lifestyle providers. The building is strategically located close to shopping arcades, beach clubs, golf courses, beachfront luxury hotels, and the Wild Wade water amusement park,” Riddoch pointed out. The tower itself will be fitted with an outdoor leisure deck on the roof of the podium, which will house the lobby and the parking garage on the first three floors of the building. The deck includes a temperature-controlled swimming pool, a gymnasium, a sauna and steam room, a games room and children’s play area. All services offered in the other Damac projects will also be made available in Ocean Heights, including 24-hours concierge, housekeeping and security, all professionally run by specialised units. “We want people living in Ocean Heights to experience the height of luxury and service excellence,” Riddoch said. Ehab S. Shouly, Damac Properties’ newly-appointed senior vice-president for marketing, pointed out that the company’s new marketing strategy for 2005 will be based on becoming a luxury lifestyle provider for those who appreciate the finer things in life.” Our new focus is on providing our customers not just with a dream home in a unique property, but with the luxury lifestyle that they aspire to when living in a dynamic city like Dubai. To this end, we will be announcing, on a regular basis next year, new initiatives to help us achieve this,” Shouly said.